


Needed

by obsessedwithstardust



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Gen, and im here to rectify that, let scrooge care about his nephew 2k17, there is not NEARLY enough donald scrooge fluff on here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-02-11 09:07:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12932067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsessedwithstardust/pseuds/obsessedwithstardust
Summary: Donald spends a sleepless night wondering if he's really good for his nephews.





	Needed

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I wrote this in like a day and kinda sorta proofread a little so if it's shit that's why. I might come back and edit it when it's not six am. Anyways I love reboot Donald with all my heart and he's Trying™. 
> 
> (PS I have seen three (3) panels from the comic in my lifetime and remember about two scenes from the original show so this is based purely on 2017 DuckTales)

Donald sighed as he sat on the couch in the houseboat. It had been a month since they moved in with Scrooge and he still wasn’t quite sure how to handle it. After what happened to Della, he had sworn to make it on his own. He had been angry and scared and didn’t want a repeat of what happened to his sister to happen to the boys. At the time, Donald had blamed Scrooge, because he wanted to blame someone for Della disappearing off the face of the earth, and that anger was a big part of his decision in raising the boys separately. 

However, somewhere in between then and now, it had become less about Della and more about the boys. Somewhere in there he had come to terms with what had happened and admitted it wasn’t his uncle’s fault, but that didn’t make him any less scared. He didn’t want the boys to grow up like he did- adventurers with no real world skills and an overreliance on their rich uncle. He didn’t want them to be failures like him, unable to hold a job down for more than a month, unable to provide for their loved ones, always stuck both cursing and longing for their childhoods. It just made sense to keep them as far away from that world as possible, and if that meant keeping them away from Scrooge, well, Donald tried not to give it too much thought.

On the other hand, now that they were here, Donald and his fears felt ridiculous. Scrooge was undeniably better for the boys in every way. He could provide for them in a way Donald never could, take them places and do things with them Donald never would have been able to do, and in the end there was still a sense of normalcy to it. The boys still went to school and only adventured on weekends (a rule insisted upon by both Donald and Beakley), Beakley ensured all homework was completed, and sometimes the trips were more business oriented. Scrooge insisted the boys learn about how his company ran, should any of them (not Donald, of course) take over someday. It was, all in all, far better than they ever got with Donald.

Then there was the money side of things, which was also so much better. No more late nights poring over lines of red ink and making grocery list cuts, no more having to give the boys “The Christmas Talk” or skip meals because their birthday was next week. He didn’t have to worry about the power going out spontaneously or if they were going to be made fun of at school for wearing the same three pieces of worn out clothing each day. 

Scrooge would see to it that all of his great nephews were comfortable, and, should they need something, they had it. Christmas would be more than a few dollar store toys and some crappy cans of food. Scrooge could afford to spoil them on their birthdays, and Scrooge could buy them all the new clothes they wanted. So, yeah, Scrooge was best for the boys on all fronts, and Donald… well, Donald wasn’t.

It was that realization that left Donald staring at the wall of the houseboat, unable to sleep. He found it kind of ironic, realizing that he was probably the worst person to raise the boys while in the very place that had held so many celebrations and memories in the boys’ lives. To make it all worse, today was the day that the boys were officially moved into the mansion, each with their own room (yet another thing on the long list of stuff Donald couldn’t give them). Suddenly, it was too much. Donald needed to get out of here.

One of the many nice things about living with your bajillionaire uncle is that you never have to feel cramped (at least not physically). The McDuck estate was so big, Donald was sure he could walk a mile in any direction and not even make a dent. It appeared tonight he was going to test that theory, as he didn’t plan on stopping his trek through the gardens any time soon.

The gardens surrounding McDuck manor always made him feel better somehow. Even as a duckling, the ornate arrangements of flowerbeds and cleanly carved, oddly shaped bushes always could calm him down. Donald was surprised to find this still worked, and breathed in the scent of roses in the clear night air.

Sometimes, when he was a kid, Donald used to sneak out of the manor at night, alone, and just wander. The gardens were different at night, magical. While during the day they were filled with cries of excitement, laughter, and bright sunshine, at night they were quiet and secluded, starry and calm. It was Donald’s secret, the magic of the night garden, an adventure he shared only with the moon, and it always made him feel better.

While being in the garden did calm him down, Donald still found himself in a state of melancholy. Not for the first time in his life, he really had no idea where to go from here. He’d already hurt the boys enough by keeping them away from this life, how could he trust his judgement in the future? 

He had been so sure- so sure- that being around Scrooge would lead to nothing but mayhem. Ten years he had avoided his uncle, so sure he could do it on his own, so sure that he was what was best for the boys, and look where that got them. Recently Donald had just been feeling worse and worse. This whole time the boys could’ve been living this life of ease, they could’ve been fine, but Donald was an idiot who couldn’t trust his own family. He honestly wasn’t sure how the boys didn’t resent him yet.

The garden was starting to lose its magic as Donald’s thoughts hit a downward spiral. A sickening mixture of hurt, guilt, sadness, and fear was brewing in his stomach, and Donald hit the grass with a soft thump, head in hands. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there in a silent panic, it felt like years, but at some point tears began to spill out from under his hands. It was all just too much, the feeling of defeat, so he sat there in the darkness, releasing all the stress and pressure that had been building up over the last month.

So caught up in his freak out, Donald failed to notice the silhouette growing bigger behind him. “I was wondering when I would find you out here.”

Donald jumped. That accent, oh no. Donald quickly wiped his eyes, trying to make himself look less like a lost duckling and more like the responsible parent he kept pretending to be. However, before the sailor could stand up and stutter out some excuse for sobbing in Scrooge’s garden at three am, his uncle had plopped down next to him.

A warm mug was forced into Donald’s hand, and he knew from one sniff that it was Hortense’s secret hot chocolate recipe. He felt like crying all over again as he turned to look at his uncle. Scrooge was sipping from his own mug and staring up at the moon.

“You always did remind me of your mother, you know.” Scrooge continued to gaze up, leading his nephew to eventually turn towards the sky as well. It was a gorgeous, clear night, and Donald could feel the moonbeams’ calming effect taking hold again. He took a deep breath as he waited for the older duck to continue.

“Hortense was… always more cautious than Matilda and I, looking out and planning ahead, going last on the climb to catch anyone who may fall. Caring and careful, but hurt someone close to her and- woo! I'd hate to be that lad.” He paused to take a sip from his cocoa. Donald's was growing lukewarm in his shaking hands but he just couldn't drink it. 

“I saw her in you before but now, with those boys… Donald, I'm not a parent. The boys, they need you.” Scrooge tore his eyes from the moon and grabbed Donald's shoulder, causing Donald to lock eyes with his uncle. 

“Donald, I need you.” Donald teared up, his already high emotions getting suddenly hit with how much he'd missed his uncle in the last ten years. He fell into Scrooge who hugged him back tightly.

The remainder of the night was spent reminiscing on past adventures and sipping cocoa that, while cold, was still good. Besides, it could always be reheated.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are welcome!


End file.
